Verify Selenium WebDriver can open a browser and navigate to a URL using Java

Preconditions (3)

Step 1: Launch Chrome browser using Selenium WebDriver

Step 2: Navigate to 'https://www.example.com'

Step 3: Verify the page title is 'Example Domain'

Step 4: Close the browser

✅ Expected Result: Browser opens, navigates to the URL, page title matches 'Example Domain', and browser closes without errors

Automation Requirements - Selenium WebDriver with Java

Assertions Needed:

Assert that the page title equals 'Example Domain'

Best Practices:

Use WebDriverManager to manage browser drivers automatically

Use explicit waits if needed (not required here as page loads quickly)

Use try-finally or @AfterEach to close browser to avoid resource leaks

Use clear and descriptive variable names

Automated Solution

Selenium Java

import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
import io.github.bonigarcia.wdm.WebDriverManager;
import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;

public class SeleniumJavaIndustryStandardTest {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Setup ChromeDriver automatically
        WebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup();

        WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
        try {
            // Navigate to example.com
            driver.get("https://www.example.com");

            // Get the page title
            String title = driver.getTitle();

            // Assert the title is as expected
            assertEquals("Example Domain", title, "Page title should be 'Example Domain'");

            System.out.println("Test Passed: Page title is correct.");
        } finally {
            // Close the browser
            driver.quit();
        }
    }
}

This code uses Selenium WebDriver with Java to open the Chrome browser and navigate to 'https://www.example.com'.

We use WebDriverManager to automatically handle the ChromeDriver setup, which is a best practice to avoid manual driver management.

The driver.get() method opens the URL, and driver.getTitle() fetches the page title.

We use JUnit's assertEquals to verify the title matches the expected string, ensuring the page loaded correctly.

The try-finally block ensures the browser closes even if the assertion fails, preventing resource leaks.

This simple test demonstrates why Selenium with Java is industry standard: Java's strong typing, rich ecosystem, and Selenium's powerful browser control combine for reliable, maintainable automation.

Common Mistakes - 4 Pitfalls

Hardcoding the path to the browser driver executable

Not closing the browser after test execution

Using Thread.sleep() instead of explicit waits

Using vague or unclear assertion messages

Bonus Challenge

Now add data-driven testing to verify page titles for three different URLs

Show Hint